Marie Le Neillon-Quesseveur, Susanne Ehmer, Christina Ines Ackermann, Coralie Lejeune, Daniela Snyders and Julia Salamon were today sent off into the desert by Daimler – on official business. The female employees of Daimler are taking part on behalf of the automotive manufacturer in the "Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc" desert rally.
Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, was on hand to wave the women off from Stuttgart. Addressing the female employees, Mornhinweg said: "Participation in this desert rally is a tremendous challenge for you. Of course at the same time it is also an exciting adventure. I wish you all the very best of luck, every success and an exciting time. And above all I wish you a safe return!"
Female employees take part in the rally
Female employees of Daimler have already taken part in the desert rally in both 2010 and 2011 – and with a great deal of success. Last year they secured first place in their category at the wheel of a Vito. According to Volker Mornhinweg: "The demand from female employees to take part in this event was huge. This is why this year, in addition to promoting diversity and based on the diversity management policy already in existence at Daimler, we once again wanted to give female staff in the company the opportunity to fulfil their rally dreams."
The vehicles
Daimler has entered three vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Vans in the 2012 rally: two Vito models and one Sprinter. The new generation Vito models have been modified for rally use to include such on-board equipment as roll-over cages, Terratrip mileage recorders, bucket seats, fire extinguishers, underride guard sand special desert tyres. The drivetrain, as well as the brakes and vehicle electronics, meanwhile, are all 100% identical to the series production Vito model.
Except for the shortened wheelbase, the third rally vehicle - a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter - is also a series production vehicle which has been only slightly modified for rally use. The changes it has undergone include special sand tyres, a roll-over cage, bucket sets and an underride guard.
Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles
This year's "Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles 2012" is taking place from 17 to 30 March in Morocco. Only women may take part in the rally, which covers a distance of 2500 kilometres and rally comprises seven stages. No fewer than a total of 150 teams from all over the world are lining up on the starting grid this year. It is not the fastest team which wins, but rather the team which is able to find the shortest route between the checkpoints within the given timeframe: all without the aid of GPS systems, binoculars or mobile phones.
There is no payment or prize money for the participants. The revenues generated from the rally are used to finance teams of doctors to provide medical care throughout the year to nomads and the residents of remote villages and settlements in the south of Morocco. In addition, a medical convoy with a mobile clinic travels through the country during the rally to carry out life-saving operations.
Credits: Daimler AG
Copyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
Spring 2012 sees the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter adopt a number of product enhancements which underline its ambition to lead the large van segment. The tough, practical testing focuses on the key customer requirements of safety, economy and comfort.
The Sprinter is the first van in the world to be available with a seven-speed torque-converter automatic transmission. Fuel consumption is reduced even further by the BlueEFFICIENCY package and a higher axle ratio. What's more, the standard-fit ESP® has additional and enhanced functionality. Like all new components of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, these new features have to demonstrate their ability to withstand extreme testing in unforgiving conditions near the Arctic Circle.
At temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius – and even lower – the new features have to prove that they meet the high quality standards of Mercedes-Benz. Testing begins with the cold-start performance of the engine equipped with the BlueEFFICIENCY package. Then it's the turn of the new, seven-speed automatic transmission to demonstrate that it can still deliver silky smooth gearchanges when the ambient temperature is as low as that in a freezer. The same goes for the control systems. Their sensors have to be tuned with absolute precision to ensure that the systems are always ready to intervene with corrective measures – regardless of how hostile the operating conditions may be.
ADAPTIVE ESP® as standard: functionality extended once again
Mercedes-Benz has raised the already exemplary safety standard of the Sprinter to an even higher level. Since the start of the year, the van has been equipped with a new generation of ADAPTIVE ESP® with additional functions. The new features include:
- Brake Disk Wipe: in the wet, this system builds up a low level of brake pressure on a cyclical basis. This wipes the film of water off the brake disc so that the full braking power is available straight away if it should be required.
- Electronic Brake Prefill: if the driver releases the pressure on the accelerator suddenly, this is interpreted as the first step of an imminent braking process. The system reacts to this by gently applying the brake pads to the brake disc.
This means that the air gap between the two friction partners is effectively already reduced to zero by the time the driver presses the brake pedal. In this way, the reaction time for any braking which may be required is reduced.
In order to ensure that the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter meets the high standards demanded by its customers, tough quality checks are also carried out during the winter testing in Arjeplog. These concern all the vehicle systems – without exception. So along with the new ADAPTIVE ESP®, the new seven-speed torque-converter automatic transmission has to prove its ability to cope with snow and ice for the umpteenth time. The verdict of the test engineers is unequivocal: top quality performance, even under extreme winter conditions.
In a world first, the new 7G-Tronic transmission will be available as an option for a van with effect from this spring. This seven-speed automatic transmission, which has a fully electronic control system and has already proved itself in many Mercedes-Benz passenger car models, has been adapted to meet the specific requirements of use in a van.
The great advantage of the new transmission with its seven gears is that it combines a wide spread between the lowest and the highest gears with closely spaced ratios. In practice, this means that the Sprinter has a low first-gear ratio which ensures that it can pull away dynamically. At high speeds, however, it is able to run at low revs and so benefit from fuel savings, low emissions and quiet operation. At the same time, the Sprinter can call on the appropriate gear for every driving situation with only small shifts in engine speed between the different ratios.
The favourable fuel consumption achieved with the BlueEFFICIENCY package is particularly impressive: for Sprinter models with a permissible gross vehicle weight of 3.5 tonnes and a four-cylinder diesel engine, the combined consumption (depending on the model variant and axle ratio) is as low as 7.6 litres per 100 km.
BlueEFFICIENCY package reduces fuel consumption and emissions
Every Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is, of course, designed to use fuel sparingly. All the diesel models have a battery management system while both the engine and transmission are designed for low fuel consumption and low emissions.
The already favourable fuel consumption of the Sprinter equipped with a van manual transmission can be reduced by about another 0.5 litres per 100 km with the optional BlueEFFICIENCY package. This fuel saving also results in a reduction in CO2 emissions.
The BlueEFFICIENCY package comprises the ECO start/stop function, tyres with reduced rolling resistance, the ECO power steering pump, alternator management and an electrically controlled fuel pump. As a result, the combined fuel consumption for a typical Sprinter with a four-cylinder CDI diesel engine, a van manual transmission, a closed body and a permissible gross vehicle weight of 3.5 t is reduced to as little as 7.4 litres per 100 km.
Exemplary: fuel consumption of only 7 litres per 100 km with new, high axle ratio and van manual transmission
Another measure to reduce fuel consumption and emissions is a new, higher, rear-axle ratio for the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. This is available as special equipment for various vehicle variants. The ratio of i=3.692 reduces the engine speed by about six percent and so results in an outstanding combined fuel consumption figure as low as 7 litres per 100 km with correspondingly lower CO2 emissions.
Credits: Daimler AG
Copyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
Apart from the new Citan and future Viano arriving in 2014, the Sprinter is also due to undergo a facelift procedure destined to keep the vehicle attractive up to 2017, when a new generation is set to enter the stage. The front fascia is the part set to change the most after the restyling process, as it gets new headlights optionally available with LED daytime running lights and a beefier radiator grille with the big Star placed in the middle. For the rest of the body, just subtle or no visual improvements are expected. The engine lineup will likely stay the same, but further tweaks in the efficiency department are bound to happen, that will help reduce the CO2 emission and improve fuel economy. At the moment, the 2013 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is getting the taste of Scandinavian snow and ice, as the winter development is fully underway. Check out further spy shots after the jump!
Image Credits: Autoevolution
Copyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
The introduction of the extended ESP package for the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter from January 2012 will improve brake performance in critical situations and enhance the safety of passengers and other road users. ADAPTIVE ESP 9i replaces the current ADAPTIVE ESP 8.1. This is further proof that safety is one of the fundamental values of the Mercedes-Benz brand.
The successor to ADAPTIVE ESP guarantees greater safety
The intelligent ADAPTIVE ESP safety system complements other aspects such as careful driving techniques, effective brakes and sophisticated chassis systems, to achieve the greatest possible active safety. Just like the ADAPTIVE ESP 8.1 safety system, fitted as standard ever since the current Sprinter was introduced, the new ESP 9i takes the vehicle load into account. Depending on the weight and the position of the vehicle's centre of gravity, the ESP sensors ascertain the vehicle load at any given time; this ensures that ESP 9i can stabilise the vehicle with individually modulated intervention action.
This new ESP system will also intervene selectively if a trailer begins to sway, thus helping drivers to stabilise their vehicle and trailer combination.
ADAPTIVE ESP 9i has two important additional functionalities: Brake Disc Wipe and Electronic Brake Prefill.
Brake Disc Wipe accelerates brake response time in wet conditions
In wet weather, light braking pressure is applied to the wheel brake at regular intervals to wipe the film of water off the brake disc. If emergency braking occurs, full braking power is immediately available. This gains valuable stopping distance compared with braking with wet brake discs.
Electronic Brake Prefill ensures that brakes respond rapidly
If the accelerator pedal is released suddenly and quickly, the brake pads will automatically be gently applied so as to eliminate in advance the air gap between brake pad and disc. If emergency braking then occurs, valuable milliseconds will have been won since the friction surfaces of the pads and discs will already be in contact, facilitating effective deceleration.
This functionality also reduces stopping distance which, depending on the circumstances, will either avoid an accident or diminish its severity.
The new ADAPTIVE ESP 9i will be fitted as standard from January 2012 at no additional cost.
Source: Daimler AG
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
